Is poker "gambling"?

This is something i ponder. I am a christain, and many people view playing poker for money is against christian believeifs. Because poker is considered gambling. Now, I have done a little bit of research to see what gambling really is and came across this blog.

I enjoyed reading it and Can agree with most of what is being said, however it does not answer strait "yes" or "no" if poker is gambling or not, but gives some good info about what gambling is.

Check it out and i would like to hear some feed back

http://www.pokerlistings.com/is-poker-gambling

and from what the article was saying, many things can be considered gambling

Just my .02, but I believe poker is definately gambling. Gotta agree with Doyle there. You are wagering on the outcome of an unknown event (the cards that will come to make the board and how they will connect with to help, or hurt, your starting hand). There is much more to it than that of course, but still definately gambling.

I thought it was funny in the article that the writer said there were many things that were -EV, like marriage. I'm guessing someone has had some bad experiences .

On a side note, and NOT to get into a big religious debate, but I wonder how many churches condemn poker, slots, etc, etc, but still run a weekly bingo night? If its OK for the churches, or at least certain churches....

Just sayin.

Hand to hand, sure it's gambling because chance plays a role in the outcome.

Long term, it's not imo. Skill is the determining factor.

life is gambling. you are never sure of any outcome, you are (trying) to make the best decisions given the odds.

I def. agree with this haha. So i gues i should stop living since I am doing something God does not want me to do :P

JK JK

But it is ture that even things that the church considers "not gambling" in hines sight, is actually a risk, or a gamble. Risk and gamble... hmmm do these things go hand in hand? like a -EV marraige :P

I guess im going to just sit in my room and read the bible. That is not a gamble to sit and read is it?

I guess i RISK the fact i could get a paper cut, but the pages are very thin so i feel my skin is durable enough to hand the edge's :P

http://www.pokernewsdaily.com/mike-k...hallenge-7112/

The preacher who won the pokestars million dollar challenge didn't think it was against his religion. Also, I believe a PA judge ruled holdem wasn't gambling, it was a game of skill to try to bypass gambling laws.

Poker is not gambling, iīs investing. Itīs only gambling if you play only few hands, dont care about the money or play for fun.
If you play it seriously, itīs not gambling in the long run.
Play 1 million hands and thereīs no luck anymore..

Like beauty ... 'gambling' is in the eye of the player.

Best definition I have found is...

"Risking anything of value on an uncertain outcome".

btw, my response was mostly to point out this is basically a definition war. you could say that buying a raffle ticket to benefit cancer research is gambling, but its mostly just what you consider to be gambling.

although im not religious, i think the best response would be to talk to your minister/pastor/priest or whatever and ask them for their definition, or just say the hell (literally) with it and do it anyway.

Its all been said, but just sat down with my coffee, so I will add here as well.

Poker is definitly gambling when it is played by some people. And it is these people that allow people like me to believe I have a chance to maybe make a small (define "small" lol) income with it, and it is these people that certainly contribute big to pro players ROI.

If the hand goes to showdown, then the gambling part can come into play. But that will depend on a number of things. Lets say you put your opponent on a High A due to his past play when he limped in MP and called your 4x raise from the button with TT. The flop comes K T 4 RB. he checks and you, trappy and sneaky player that you are, check behind. You are now convinced that he has the Ax. Turn is A. he bets 1/2 pot and you call. river is 5, no flush draw. he bets 3/4 pot, you go all in, he calls.

OK, now we come to SD. If he has that AX, were you gambling? Because you were using your information on him to make your decision to invest your money, I say no. If he has KK or JQ and was just being more trappy than you, does that change the answer to "yes"? I dont think so. What has happened in that case is that you have invested money to increase your information pool, and now know this players tendencies better, and can adjust your play against him in future battles. If you went to showdown purely on the strength of your trips, and did not lose too much thought over your opponents holdings, then this hand was a total gamble for you.

Next hand. You are on the button with Q9s. A SnG, 5 left, blinds 100-200. It is folded to you, and one fold is an extremely SS. You have an slightly larger stack than the blinds, you all have between 10-14 BB. So you go all in against the blinds. You believe the blinds are both decent players, so is this a gamble, or a good decision seeing as a player is about to blind out, and no one is going to risk their tourney life unless they have a premium hand? Win or lose, these decisions are based on thought and information, so, while a risk is certainly present, there are more factors influencing the outcome than just the cards.

This is the deciding factor here. Why you do what you do. And that is why the real answer to the question "Is poker gambling?" would be:


It depends.

Lol So some situations would be gambling, and others would be influenced by information that I have gathered on "villain" def. makes sense. So i guess I can say that poker is only a gamble if you make it a gamble There are situations were you tell your self, im just gana shove this hand and hope for the best, and other times u tell urself, I have a 70% chance to win so In the long run i will profit with this outcome, thus taking away the gamble factor.

Yes, and there are a number of other things to consider as well. Like hands that do not go to showdown. Why dont they? For example, I know both blinds are tight, and I have 2 7o on the button, and I shove or bet (this is hypothetical, and many factors would have to be considered, but in the right situation, I am doing this). One of them may wake up with AA-QQ or AK, but mainly not. So I am "gambling" not that my hand is good, but rather that their hands are not. But it is not a gamble really, as I know they will fold often enough to make it +ev in the long run. Many more example possible, such as going over the top as SB or BB and the button is stealing often, and so on. As long as these decisions are made on information you have gathered, the odds offered etc. then they are decisions with a certain amount of risk, but IMO not "Gambling". I am interpreting gambling as being an outcome based purely on random luck. And if you play using reads, math, odds, position, etc. then the randomness has been greatly reduced. The gambling factor is greater when your opponents play purely on luck, since they will not react on what you do, but rather on what they have and how much donkey blood is in their veins.

The funny thing is, I had a 3 hour debate last night with someone trying to explain this:
" I am interpreting gambling as being an outcome based purely on random luck. And if you play using reads, math, odds, position, etc. then the randomness has been greatly reduced. The gambling factor is greater when your opponents play purely on luck, since they will not react on what you do, but rather on what they have and how much donkey blood is in their veins."

But eventually had to give up and just take his money...

I feel like it is definately a gamble, you not going to win on bad cards. A good poker player is someone that is very lucky, the ones that say that there is alot of skill is full of it.

Are you asking this question for real? Wally

No question, in my mind it is absolutely gambling. Even the most skilled player can lose to some donk who gets lucky. If you play in a tourney, you have to get lucky to avoid someone getting lucky against you.

If you believe it is OR believe it is not; either way, you are correct. Wally

Any time you wager on anything, whether it is a game of skill or chance, it's gambling. I'd consider a bet on a chess match to be gambling as well.

LMAO.............


So much wrong here that it makes no sense to contradict....

This is exactly the same type of topic like mine where I ask of there is luck or skill... same type of answers etc.

I think as long as you keep God first in your life then your fine.

Not all poker is gambling.. only when you spend money to play it in an effort to win more money. But then again, so is buying and selling on the stock market and investing in the real estate business.... those could both be considered gambling as well.

When you play poker for money as a hobby, treat it as entertainment money. Like you're going to the movies. Treat it like you are never going to see that money ever again and spend it wisely, and you'll be fine.

What a question. Is snow white?

I agree with you but the question is useless.
Argument: If it wouldn't be considered gambling then you are basically saying there ia no luck only skill and you can easily compare it to chess which is totally WRONG!

Of course poker is gambling. You are putting money on something to hope to happen (win). Anything with odds involved and money, is gambling. Of course it's not like a roulette wheel or the lottery where indeed this is just luck. There are ways to play in poker to "win" consistently. Just like horse racing, there are handicappers who know the ins and outs who can make a living from it but still they are gambling.

so even if i can be a winning player and ven if it is 51% and i lose 49% of the time, i am a gambling, Even tho I am making a profit? Slow yes, but still the $ is increasing slowly.

I think games that are considered "gambling" are any game in the casino tha is not poker. (besides Black JAck, if u can count you are not gambling you are winning about 55% of the time so u have a slow income)

Don't let others tell you how to live your life and you will be much happier.

I could give a rat's ass whether anyone else thinks it is gambling or not, or right or wrong. I enjoy playing it and don't hurt anyone when I do - including myself.

Seriously.

Being a christian is gambling no? nobody knows which religion is true if any!

Only until the dogs get to it...


No, Poker is not gambling. You can intentionally lose money at Poker. Gambling is the act of a purely odds-based return on your money where no action by you can affect the outcome.

You gamble at horse racing, keno, craps, roulette, and slot machines. Poker, Blackjack, and Baccarat are wagering games where an element of skill is required due to the interaction of the player with the game.

Wish I could say that! Never hurt anyone else, although if I could reach through my internet connection........

I HAVE, however, injured myself more than once after the 10th bad beat in a session. Sometimes the urge to punch something is just overwhelming. Sometimes I don't choose wisely when punching things. Gotta wrk on that. Choosing better things, I mean .

Poker can be approached as a game of skill, ie. Phil Ivey against anyone, or you can sit at a poker table & gamble. Your choice.
If you really want to gamble, play bingo.

It is what it is.

Go to your local church and tell everybody you bought a weekly lotto ticket. I bet most of them won't even give you any reaction. Then tell them that you play poker for money sometimes. Now you are going straight to hell.

People have no right to judge you.
It only matters whats in your own head.

All I have to say is that gambling can be anything, just like what Arthur says. It's a gamble to plant a tree, because the tree could one day be struck by lightning, fall, and kill someone. I believe that poker is one hundred percent a gamble. Some people are blessed with great opportunities in poker and they also exploit weaknesses in other players' games. If you play enough hands you will learn a lot about poker and may be able to gain maximum +EV out of every situation. Some people are blessed (God given) with better cards. (I am convinced that God is real and that Jesus Christ is God and that he was on this Earth.) I also think that no matter what some people do that they will not be winning players. Dark Assassin, think of it like this: If you are wishing that you could make yourself feel better because it's so much fun to play and try to win, you are probably doing wrong. You may end up winning huge one day(it will be a gamble to get to that point), and if and when you do (you will be wasting your time because you are probably still out of God's will and not getting the overall message out.) I think I have decided that I am going to quit playing poker for money that I am not willing to lose (I think that if you are risking money that you don't mind throwing in the garbage and forgetting about, then you are not really risking anything). The main point is: what could you use that money for (glorifying God and Jesus)? I think that if you are gambling with people and you are witnessing while you do it, it isn't wrong as long as you let them know you don't care about the money you are risking.

Poker is paitence. And is not a gamble. Why do you see so many of the same faces at the final table?. Becuase they play poker and don't gamble. now bing o thats gambling and ya can always almost find a good bing game going on at your nearby church. imo Bigbigbucs.